It's a great time to drive around town right now, seeing the bright, colorful signs advertising fun and exciting times at summer Vacation Bible School. This letter may find your church on the other side of this year's event, right in the thick of it, or anticipating it just ahead in the coming weeks.

VBS is a church-wide effort and requires plenty of coordination and organization, which prompts the question: When do you start planning for Vacation Bible School?

A survey on Lifeway's VBS blog showed that 68 percent of churches begin thinking about next summer's event "as soon as they finish the previous year."

The survey also showed that the next majority, 18 percent, begin planning for summer VBS in December, which corresponds nicely with our annual VBS coverage, in which we round up and preview the new themes from a wide variety of publishers.

Just as important as your planning efforts are your follow-up efforts as well. You should have a solid plan in place to execute your post-VBS family communication.

On a final note, if you're heading out to Long Beach this month for the NACBA conference, be sure to stop by our booth (#540) for a free tote bag. You'll need it to collect all of the great information you'll come across at the show. This event is always a valuable opportunity to talk to a wide variety of companies that provide products and services to the worship market.

I'm always interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at jill@rpnmag.com.